Comparison of Regional and Statewide Impacts on Salinity Mitigation in the Arkansas River Valley

The Arkansas River in Colorado has a major salinity problem, due to agricultural runoff caused by irrigation. It is necessary to see how on-farm net sales, regional and state employment and income levels are affected by alternative aquifer recharge rates. The positive impacts were greatest for the 40% recharge rate.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The "Safe Student" Scholarship: Expanding Education Choice Options to Improve School Safety

School safety is an issue that policymakers have struggled to address for decades. Current federal policy provides an Unsafe School Choice Option that has been largely overlooked. States should ensure that implementation of the policy allows all students who are in unsafe environments to transfer to a safe and effective school. At the same time, state policymakers should immediately provide school choice options to children who are direct victims of school violence or bullying, and to those students in schools with a high rate of such victimization, through the introduction of "safe student" scholarships.

BENEFITS OF CONTROLLING SALINE WATER IN COLORADO

The Arkansas River in Colorado is confronted with a salinity issue; the majority of this salinity problem is due to agricultural runoff caused by irrigation. Reducing applications of irrigation water through adoption of more technically efficient irrigation systems is one means of improving water quality in the Arkansas River basin. This research uses positive mathematical programming to model the cropping practices of the farms along the Arkansas River. It examines the affect of acreage and profit levels of these farms given the choice of changing their irrigation technologies.Environmental Economics and Policy,

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The Effects of Species Exposure on Chemical Communication Behavior in Beetles

The Tribolium castaneum genome sequence contains a large number of odorant receptor (Or) genes when compared to the olfactory genomes of other insects (Engsontia et al., 2007). Evolved populations of the red flour beetle differ in their ability to detect chemical senses (Boake & Wade, 1984). Red flour beetles have been noted to release compounds via glands on their femurs (Olsson et al., 2006). This study observes the effects of chemical communication on behavior in beetles by comparing the response of the red flour beetles to areas predisposed to the chemical communication of other species. The purpose of this research is to study the effects of chemical communication in beetles by comparing the behavior of beetles exposed to life with only members of their own species to life in a group setting exposed to other species. If members of the species, Tribolium castaneum, were exposed to living with other species of beetles, then these beetles would be more likely to be present in areas predisposed to the other species. When accounting for edge behavior tendencies in beetles, this study observed that 80% of the tested individuals from the single species environment visited the red flour beetle chemical communication patch, while only 50% of individuals exposed to the group of multiple species were found on the patch chemically marked by species of red flour beetles. Results of this study support the notion that living alongside other species likely influences chemical communication preferences in beetles

Evaluation of Humic Fertilizers Applied at Full and Reduced Nitrogen Rates on Kentucky Bluegrass Quality and Soil Health

Soil health and sustainable management practices have garnered much interest within the turfgrass industry. Among the many practices that enhance soil health and sustainability are applying soil additives to enhance soil biological activity and reducing nitrogen (N) inputs—complimentary practices. A two-year study was conducted to investigate if reduced N fertilizer rates applied with humic substances could provide comparable turfgrass quality as full N rates, and whether humic fertilizers would increase biological aspects of soil health (i.e., microbial biomass and activity). Treatments included synthetic fertilizer with black gypsum (SFBG), poly-coated humic-coated urea (PCHCU; two rates), urea + humic dispersing granules (HDG; two rates), urea, stabilized nitrogen, HDG, and a nontreated control. Reduced rates of N with humic substances maintained turfgrass quality and cover, and reduced clipping biomass compared to full N rates. There were no differences in soil physical and chemical properties besides soil sulfur (S) concentration. SFBG resulted in the highest soil S concentration. Fertilizer treatments had minimal effect on microbial biomass and other plant-available nutrients. However, PCHCU (full rate) increased potentially mineralizable carbon (PMC) and N (PMN) by 68% and 59%, respectively, compared to the nontreated control. Meanwhile SFBG and stabilized nitrogen also increased PMC and PMN by 77% and 50%, and 65% and 59%, respectively. Overall, applications of reduced N fertilizer rates with the addition of humic substances could be incorporated into a more sustainable and environmentally friendly turfgrass fertilizer program

Exercise Increases Neural Stem Cell Number in a GH-Dependent Manner, Augmenting the Regenerative Response in Aged Mice

The exercise-induced enhancement of learning and memory, and its ability to slow age-related cognitive decline in humans led us to investigate whether running stimulates periventricular (PVR) neural stem cells (NSCs) in aging mice, thereby augmenting the regenerative capacity of the brain. To establish a benchmark of normal aging on endogenous NSCs, we harvested the PVR from serial vibratome sections through the lateral ventricles of juvenile (6-8 weeks), 6, 12, 18, and 24-month-old mice, culturing the cells in the neural colony forming cell assay. A significant decline in NSC frequency was apparent by 6-months (~40%) ultimately resulting in a ~90% reduction by 24-months. Concurrent with this decline was a progressive loss in regenerative capacity, as reflected by an incomplete repopulation of neurosphere-forming cells following gamma cell irradiation-induced depletion of the PVR. However voluntary exercise (i.e. 21 days of running) significantly increased NSC frequency in mic

The impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on osteoporotic fragility fractures: an observational study

Summary We investigated whether osteoporotic fractures declined during lockdown, among adults aged 50 years and older. We showed that fewer outpatients attended the Fracture Clinic, for non-hip fractures, during lockdown; in contrast, no change in admissions for hip fractures was observed. This could be due to fewer outdoors falls, during lockdown.PurposeMany countries implemented a lockdown to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored whether outpatient attendances to the Fracture Clinic for non-hip fragility fracture and inpatient admissions for hip fracture declined during lockdown, among adults aged 50 years and older, in a large secondary care hospital.MethodsIn our observational study, we analysed the records of 6681 outpatients attending the Fracture Clinic, for non-hip fragility fractures, and those of 1752 inpatients, admitted for hip fracture, during the time frames of interest. These were weeks 1st to 12th in 2020 (“prior to lockdown”), weeks 13th to 19th in 2020 (“lockdown”) and corresponding periods over 2015 to 2019. We tested for differences in mean numbers (standard deviation (SD)) of outpatients and inpatients, respectively, per week, during the time frames of interest, across the years.ResultsPrior to lockdown, in 2020, 63.1 (SD 12.6) outpatients per week attended the Fracture Clinic, similar to previous years (p value 0.338). During lockdown, 26.0 (SD 7.3) outpatients per week attended the Fracture Clinic, fewer than previous years (p value [less than] 0.001); similar findings were observed in both sexes and age groups (all p values [less than] 0.001). During lockdown, 16.1 (SD 5.6) inpatients per week were admitted for hip fracture, similar to previous years (p value 0.776).ConclusionDuring lockdown, fewer outpatients attended the Fracture Clinic, for non-hip fragility fractures, while no change in inpatient admissions for hip fracture was observed. This could reflect fewer non-hip fractures and may inform allocation of resources during pandemic